Chapter 138
by MrsCatherineWinter
Summary: The book "Angels and Demons" has exactly 137 chapters. But I wasn't quite happy with the ending, so I added another chapter to show more of Roberts and Vittorias romance.


_First of all, I have to admit that I am not a native speaker, so there might be a few mistakes, but if you were so kind as to write me a message to tell me of them, I would immediately correct them._

 _Disclaimer: All figures belong to Dan Brown and I don't earn my money with these stories._

 **Chapter 138**

When Robert Langdon awoke the sun was illuminating the bedroom of their suite. He glanced to his side and found Vittoria still asleep, with an angelic smile on her lips. As he held her in his arms he smiled with joy. Here he was, the greatest bachelor of all time, who had been happy with his solitary life, next to a woman he started to care very deeply for.

"I've never had a religious experience," he had told her yesterday. His smile turned into a huge grin – now he had… Vittoria was all in all just amazing. He stared at her and tried to understand why she would spend time with him in this way and why she seemed to like him at all. Had she maybe even fallen in love with him?

Had he fallen in love with her?

As he looked at her calm face and stroked gently over her cheek, his heart started to pound fast and he knew he was doomed… But this was a doom he maybe even wanted.

"Good morning," Vittoria suddenly said, eyes wide open and a grin on her lips.

"Good morning," he chuckled and gave her a kiss.

They looked into each other's eyes for a while before she said: "And? What now?"

Remembering his dream, he asked: "Want to see the coliseum?"

"Sure," she replied.

They got up, got dressed, went downstairs and into the lucid streets of Rome. They had breakfast in a small bakery and Langdon was of course inviting Vittoria.

"Do you think Mortati already told the world about the Camerlengo?" she asked trying to sound casually, although he could see the tension in her face.

"Not that I know of."

"Do you think he'll ever tell?"

He grimaced. "I don't think so."

Vittoria gulped and looked outside the window and into the piazza. Then she sighed and told him in a severe voice: "Maybe it's better this way. I don't want the Catholic Church to stumble. My father loved the church."

Langdon took her hand, which was lying on the table between them, squeezed it lightly and smiled at her comforting. He would never tell her (because he knew that she didn't want to hear it) but he was very proud of her.

Vittoria smiled back at him. Suddenly she stood up, took his hand firmly into hers and said grinning: "Didn't you say something about the Coliseum?"

He laughed and stood up as well.

They took the Metro for a few station until they reached the Coliseum. The construction began under Vespasian in AD 72 and was completed in AD 80 under his successor Titus. Then it was known as the Flavian Amphitheatre and is till today the largest amphitheatre ever built. Gladiators showed their strength in brutal battles, lions and other wild animals fought each other or even men, and countless people died in there as their punishments for partly trivial crimes. It had been even possible to flood the arena to re-enact sea battles.

"Magnificent," Vittoria beamed.

Langdon looked at her. "Yes," he whispered.

They went inside and admired the building along with many other tourists. Finally, they found a quiet spot where they could oversee the inner part of the arena, and Langdon put an arm around Vittoria.

"What now?" she said after a while.

"What do you mean?"

She looked him in the eye and he saw sadness in hers. "What about us?"

He sighed heavily. He had dreaded this moment. This talk. Too serious, too painful. Now she would tell him that it was over…

"You live in Harvard, I live at CERN," she continued. "I mean… I could come with you to Harvard if you want." She looked at him shyly and full of secret fears.

"No," he declared at once.

"No?" she cried shocked. "You don't want me to come?"

He shook his head. "CERN is your world. I could never take that from you."

"Oh." She turned away from him, now looking at the arena again.

"But," he started, suddenly insecure, "I could come to Switzerland…"

She stared at him with wide eyes. "What?!"

"I guess Geneva has a university, too."

"But that's nothing compared to Harvard!"

He just shrugged.

"So, you would leave Harvard for Geneva?" she wanted to know, still surprised at this thought. Never had she even believed for one second that he would even think about it!

But he shook his head.

Her face showed her disappointment so he released her by saying with a chuckle: "I would leave Harvard for you."

She smiled at him, love sparkling in her eyes, and in that moment he decided that he would marry this woman.

ONE YEAR LATER

High atop the steps of the Coliseum, Vittoria laughed and called down to him. "Robert, hurry up! I knew I should have married a younger man!" Her smile was magic.

He grinned widely as he tried to reach her because this time it wasn't a dream.

THE END.


End file.
